<p>Alabama and Auburn:</p>
<p>Football. Parties. Republicans. Souther Culture.</p>
<p>But they both have good academics. It’s just that some people would rather go to get their degree in alcohol. But if you want a good academic experience, it can definitely be found.</p>
<p>Little Rhody</p>
<p>Public Schools:</p>
<p>University of Rhode Island: A lot of the graduating class goes to URI every year. Good pharmacy and marine bio programs. The party scene is still big, but not as much as it used to be. The campus isn’t bad, but if you want to apply, make sure to keep in touch with the admissions office because they are unorganized and tend to lose paperwork.</p>
<p>Rhode Island College: Good teaching program. Mostly commuters. If you do live there, the dorms suck.</p>
<p>CCRI: Last resort for people in my high school. If you didn’t feel like filling out apps, you go to CCRI.</p>
<p>Private:</p>
<p>Brown: Obviously people know alot about Brown, but you might not know that it is in an AMAZING location. That area in Providence is alot cooler than you might think. Thayer St. is where everyone hangs out, and it’s just a really artsy, interesting (and historic) area.</p>
<p>RISD: Obviously an amazing arts school. They have really cool graduation ceremonies, and each year the mascot changes (Including some interesting ones that CC censors.) My friends and I joke that we play “Spot the RISD student” when we are in Providence, because it’s really easy to tell Brown and RISD kids apart.</p>
<p>Roger Williams University: Pretty area, one of my friends is going here. Really good Marine Bio program. Probably one of the better schools in terms of amounts of academic scholarships. I don’t know too much more.</p>
<p>SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY!: This is where I’m going next year, so I’m biased. The campus is BEAUTIFUL, it’s right on the ocean in Newport. Campus buildings, including some dorms, are in mansions. Formerly regarded as a party school, it is moving away from that stereotype really quickly. The Senator Pell Honors Program is really well-known. They hosted the Dahli Lama a few years ago. And my future major, Cultural and Historic Preservation is also gaining prominence. I originally considered this a safety, but because I got a large academic scholarship and I was invited to the Honors Program, this school ended up being perfect for me.</p>
<p>Providence College: Lots of sports, good academic reputation. Catholic. I’m sorry, that’s about all I know.</p>
<p>J&W- Amazing culinary school. Everyone in vocational culinary programs strive to go here.</p>
<p>Hope this helped!</p>
<p>Alabama again. Basically, if you’re not an Auburn or Alabama fan, people point and stare. I still would like to say that FOOTBALL!!! is king down here. </p>
<p>…</p>
<p>1) Auburn. Great engineering school, if you’re a decent student in the state, chances are that you’ll end up going either here or U of A. Usually it depends on your family loyalties, lol. Most science-y/engineering types end up here. They give a ton of scholarships. Pretty good social life, even though the school is in the middle of nowhere. </p>
<p>2) U of A (Tuscaloosa). Roll Tide! U of A is pretty good overall for a state school. Great social scene DOMINATED by athletics. But what isn’t in Bama? Lots of people come here for law and such. Tuscaloosa’s ok, not spectacular. </p>
<p>3) UAB (Birmingham). Or as I’d like to call it, University of Asians in Birmingham. Yeah, if you’re like 50% of everyone there, you’re going in for premed. I think socially, it’s superior to Auburn or Alabama, just because its in B’ham! Good school overall. </p>
<p>4) UAH (Huntsville). University at Home, for us Huntsvillians. Although I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere close to home, the school is pretty underrated. Its engineering programs are pretty well respected and is good overall for science. The new science building is purdy. And crazy high tech. I took some math courses there this year. It’s in Huntsville, and even though I’ve grown up here, I’d like to admit that the social scene sucks for anyone in college.</p>
<p>anyone here do loyola marymount university in Cali?</p>
<p>razoredsuitcase:</p>
<p>Wow. Thanks for taking the time to respond like that. I am kind of in love with the idea of Purchase, but then again, I’ve never actually seen it! I’ve heard that everyone smokes cigs, and that the campus can sometimes resemble an ashtray… Hadn’t heard much about the drug scene, but I’m not too surprised. I’m glad your best friend’s sister is doing well now! Sorry you had such a bad experience when you visited. 
I think I should probably try to visit, ASAP, so I can see for myself.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your response. It was very detailed! I appreciate it.</p>
<p>No problem! Def check it out for yourself though. Just because I know a lot of negative things doesn’t mean it will be that way necessarily for you! If you’re in-state, check out New Paltz. It’s not too far from Purchase and I’ve heard good things about their writing program. It’s a really nice campus and environment I think. </p>
<p>A close friend of mine is actually going to Pace for writing next year. I’m pretty sure tuition is expensive, but her financial aid package was ridiculously amazing. She’s paying such a small portion of what it would be.</p>
<p>I doubt many here will have heard of any of the following but I figured I’ll mix up the posts a bit here. I’m bored and waiting for a friend to pick me up and it’s either this or watch Oprah. I figured I might let you all know what BRILLIANT college experiences you’re missing out by not applying in Oz, so, here are the universities of New South Wales, Australia.</p>
<p>University of Sydney: The university everyone puts on their UAC choice application, no matter where they come from or whether they think they’ll get in or not. It’s got sandstone buildings and everything; how could you not? Equivalent to an Ivy, only easier to get into and no where near as expensive. Great location and campus (it stole Oxbridge’s design) and the student body is hugely varied. Sports are massive. The USyd rugby, soccer and rowing teams are among the top in the nation. Most captains go on to international representation. Depending on which college you live in, dorm life can either consist of frequent stomach pumpings, sedate LAN parties or nothing but the sound of pages being turned. Close to the city so nightlife is pretty intense and far more popular than dorm parties. Graduates are considered the most professional in Oz and among the most attractive internationally, but not necessarily at the genius-level. Law degrees are the most prestigious in Australia. ASIO (the Aust. equivalent of the CIA) headhunts most of its recruits at the USyd Law and International Studies campuses. Cross-town rival is University of New South Wales. Encounters include filling the entire main hall with beer during UNSW’s 2001 graduation ceremony (up to a level of 3m), stealing UNSW’s official plaque and strapping it to the top of the Opera House and painting the two student centres entirely blue and gold (USyd colours) during rugby/rowing comp week. Alumni network is insane. Graduates know it as “the only university”.</p>
<p>University of New South Wales: Basically, USyd’s annoying little brother. Tries to do a lot more to hide the fact it sucks at almost everything. Has both the smartest and dumbest students in the nation, as it runs the only actuarial, aeronautical engineering and science/law degrees in Oz, as well as having the lowest admit UAI for a few. Ranked second in NSW because the student body is primarily made up of all those who just missed out on USyd or the University of Melbourne. Campus is dead ugly, but it offers a broader range of courses than many other universities. Presides over the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where all our famous actors were rejected from. Students are generally from middle income families, usually math/science nerds, are not particularly party-hard but not the buckle down and study type either. A few encounters with USyd include posting fake expulsion letters to over 500 random USyd students (three UNSW’s were arrested for doing so), letting ~70 livestock animals loose in the USyd quadrangle and hacking into the USyd website and keeping control of it for over five days. By the end it had been filled with some rather illegal images, “interesting facts” about the uni and revealing (fake) information about both students and professors. Fun fact #1: UNSW’s medical faculty was recently shut down due to a lecturer “engaging in unspeakable acts with cadavers”.</p>
<p>Macquarie University: USyd and UNSW’s cool little sister. Bad location and campus on the outskirts of the CBD, but excellent party/nightlife college. Student’s aren’t dumb, but are out for a good time. Girls are said to be the hottest in Sydney. Business degrees are among the top in the nation. Students usually transfer out after two years or so to USyd or UNSW but always claim they enjoyed their time at Macquarie the most.</p>
<p>University of Western Sydney: Infamous for needing a minimum 85 UAI to attend it’s medical program (I think that would translate, approximately, to a below 1800 SAT score). Doctors who graduate from here generally go into some other field to hide their UWS degree. Students are a lot of fun but have very little interest in actually graduating. Around Sydney, students are known as “Westies” and are really only ever contacted when socially awkward freshman at USyd or UNSW want to learn how to throw a real college party. Graduates tend to end up in blue collar work or as a paper pusher in an office. Or they drop out.</p>
<p>University of Newcastle: The largest of Australia’s regional universities. Most students attend because they don’t want to study or live far from home or because they didn’t get into medicine anywhere else other than Western Sydney. Campus built within bushland, which is very nice for the most part but makes for terrible mosquito infestations during Summer. Introduced the first problem-solving based degrees in Australia and is known to produce some of the best regional/rural doctors in the world. Medical program is renowned for its joint partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Northern Oz, “internships” in outback clinics and joint Rural Fire Service training program. Students are incredibly laid back but hard-working students, and nightlife generally consists of beers, beaches, bonfires and bushwalks.</p>
<p>Charles Sturt University: Australia’s largest agricultural university. Most students are from rural/farming areas. Most have or know someone who campdrafts, droves or rides horses professionally. Very little nightlife as the campuses are out in the middle of nowhere and most students are too busy tending horses or cows, planting trees or coming up with solutions to Australia’s water crisis. The few dorm parties that do occur usually go off as the winemaking and brewing students (the most sought after in Aust.) begin utilising their new skills from day one. Popular courses include BA of Irrigation, BA of Livestock Management, BA of Wine Science, MA in River Sustainability and MA in Ornithology. All are nicknamed “Aggies”, even though the uni offers plenty of programs in the media, arts and sciences as well.</p>
<p>There are more, but my ride’s here and I don’t want to kill your brains with boredom. My God, that was long.</p>
<p>Florida-
Tier 1: </p>
<p>UF- Top dog- despite what has been posted, MANY top students with 1350+ SAT scores make this their top choice school, and many of these top applicants are rejected. Admissions on par with UCLA, UNC and the like. UF is also rising in the ranks and should continue to do so in the future. UF is seriously under ranked. The quality of students is on par with schools ranked in the top 25-30 range,but US NEWS seems to think that lower student/faculty ratios are worth a high percentage of a ranking, I disagree. Look for UF to decrease this ratio in the near future. Some say the school has too many parties, but honestly- to anyone who has been to college (not high school students) what school DOESN’T have a lot of parties? The parties at Dartmouth are legendary and Berkeley is known for, among other things, it’s drug culture. EVERY college parties a lot, it’s just part f the culture.</p>
<p>FSU- Great school, but lives in the shadow of UF. Honestly, outside of the Southeast, I wonder how many people mentally lump UF and FSU into the same school. Currently, FSU is ranked ~100, in my opinion, under ranked by quite a bit.</p>
<p>USF- Sorry to the UCF faithful, but UF, FSU and USF have recently been approved for a 50% tuition increase over several years, tacitly dubbing the 3 schools as the state’s Flagship schools. USF is one of ~65 schools in the country dubbed Tier 1 research, has a med school and a cancer center. The school academically sound.<br>
One more note- USF was formed in the 1950’s when Tampa was considered South Florida, there wasn’t much between it and Miami, that’s where the name South Florida came from.</p>
<p>New College- Strong admissions standards, but they may be even left of Berkeley. They don’t even grade at this school, seriously.</p>
<p>The rest of the state schools:
UCF, UNF, FAU, FIU, Etc…Third teer. UCF has the best chance of moving up in the rankings, but they need to do what USF did 15 years ago- hire a president who is less academician and more politician who can go to Tallahassee and lobby for funds.</p>
<p>The Garbage-
FAMU- This school is a tax drain, has lousy admissions standards and boasts a 4 year graduation rate of ~13%. FAMU school even lost accreditation at one point as the president’s staff was embezzling money. Sadly, because it is a traditionally black school, no one in the state government will deal properly with the school, as it would be political suicide. The bright spot for the school is it’s co-engineering program with FSU.</p>
<p>Small state so very limited choices.</p>
<p>Publics</p>
<p>University of Delaware - great school, wide variety of programs/deparments/schools that are strong or great. Size is not monstrous - about 16,000. In-state tuition is a great value. However, it is really the only really good public choice in the state. Also, since 2/3 of Delaware’s population lives in Northern Delaware, many students consider it “too close to home” (as did my son and, now, my daughter). In our case, we live 10 minutes from the campus so to my kids it is too familiar.</p>
<p>Delaware State - transitioning from an HBC to a more diverse institution, but has a long way to go. Recent bad publicity involving several disputes between faculty and president, shootings on campus, and funding problems are not helping it advance in quality or image. But it offers a chance to go to college for many who otherwise would not have the chance.</p>
<p>Delaware Technical & Community College - Yes, just a community college, but with the limited number of 4 years in the state, it plays an important role in both vocational preparation and getting students ready for UD or other four-year schools.</p>
<p>Privates</p>
<p>Wilmington University - was just a tiny little thing operating out of an old motel when started in late '60s but has grown to 15,000 students, second largest in state only to UD. Has done so by offering programs friendly to working adults – I got my M.Ed. there. UD would have taken longer, cost more, been very inconvenient regarding class times, and I would have had to take a lot that I did not need and was not interested in, and I would have come out of it with just a second bachelor’s degree. Wilmington U. is also building its undergraduate traditional student population. Few of the traditional 18-24 yo students from outside the area won’t be interested, but it serves an underserved market.</p>
<p>Wesley - small college option. Really don’t know much about it.</p>
<p>Widener - PA college with its law school over the state line in Delaware. The only law school option in Delaware.</p>
<p>Delaware Academy of Art & Design - art specialty school - I think it’s pretty good but I don’t know too much about it.</p>
<p>Parent2noles- I agree that Florida State is a great school, but to compare the business schools is quite a stretch, at least on the MBA level. U-Florida is ranked 34 in the US by USNEWS (tied with Notre Dame, U-Washington and Boston College) and ~65th internationally (The Economist). The internet MBA is ranked #1 Globally. The average GMAT scores of UF MBA is 680, the same as Cornell and Rochester.</p>
<p>Tom, most of what you wrote strikes me as really accurate. That’s an interesting tidbit, too, about why USF is the University of SOUTH Florida… I live in (what is now considered) South Florida, and anything north of West Palm Beach isn’t quite seen as South, here and now. Although I’m sure USF is probably on the rise, I must point out that it is still considered third tier by USNews, not first. ([USNews.com:</a> America’s Best Colleges 2008: University of South Florida: At a glance](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_1537_brief.php]USNews.com:”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_1537_brief.php))</p>
<p>What about Wollongong near Sydney? I just stumbled upon it while touring and bought my son a sweatshirt cause I loved the name. It seemed like they have tons of Asians, but that may be the case with all the schools in Australia.</p>
<p>Massachusetts!</p>
<p>Publics:
UMass Amherst: This year we had an anti-drug presentation at school with this guy who said “I was a perfect student in high school. I graduated 4th in my class, went to UMass Amherst, and became a drug addict”. About sums it up.
UMass Lowell: um… commuter school?
UMass Dartmouth: The girl who sits next to me in math got in and she didn’t write the required essays.
UMass Boston: There are so many better schools in Boston.
Salem State: not sure
Worcester State: why would you want to spend 4 years in Worcester?
Framingham State: not sure
Fitchburg State: not sure
Westfield State: not sure
Bridgewater State: not sure
MCLA: I know someone there who loves it.
Mass College of Art: not sure
Mass Maritime Academy:not sure</p>
<p>Privates to come later.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about a Dean College in Mass?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, there is a University of Wollongong, sort of near Sydney, I just didn’t have time to write about it. It’s really very small, comparatively, and not very competitive. It’s a very good research university but its undergraduate degrees aren’t exactly highly sought after. Not very prestigious but the students are known to be pretty sensible, down to earth and relatively bright. Awesome hockey team. The population of Asian students isn’t that much greater than at most other universities around Australia. They make up the majority of the international population, but that’s not just in universities, they’ve become a pretty big demographic throughout the country in the last decade or so.</p>
<p>And yes, Woollongong is a rather cool name. It’s Aboriginal, said to mean “sound of the sea”. We have some fairly cool names here. Dunneedoo. Wodonga. Indooroopilly. Tumbi Umbi. Goondiwindi. Wagga Wagga.</p>
<p>Anyone who could give me more information about Stony Brook?
I have been accepted for Mechanical Engineering and intend to join the swimming team.I am an international student, from Greece, so I don’t know much.I have also admitted to Boston University but they don’t give financial aid to internationals.</p>
<p>Its time for the great state of PA:</p>
<p>Harrisburg Area Community College: Supposedly one of the best community colleges in the country it is where slackers go to flunk out of college. Also, a lot of kids go there and then transfer out to four year universities because of money. Basically, good school, but certainly the butt of every joke around.</p>
<p>Penn St: Party School! This is where slackers go if they apply early enough. It is known for its beer and its football team, but if you go to the honors university you can leave with a good, cheap diploma. But yeah its all about the booze.</p>
<p>University of Pittsburgh (UPITT): UPITT is a good school, especially if you go to the honors college, but from where I’m from it just isn’t where you want to go. Its cold, it has very little social life, and its cold. Did I also mention it tends to be cold?</p>
<p>Philadelphia schools-UPENN: I don’t know a ton about them, but I do know a ton of people who apply to UPENN, get denied, and thus go to one of these schools. The only one that really has a reputation is Temple, and thats don’t get shot.</p>
<p>UPENN Wharton: This keeps UPENN alive in some respects. One of the really good schools in the nation, and it keeps the ivy tradition alive in PA. This is where the really smart kids who for some unkown reason want to go to philly for school. </p>
<p>UPENN-Wharton: Snotty brats with quadruple legacy…</p>
<p>IUP, Millersville-Good music departments, usually 5 kids go there a year (per school).</p>
<p>Dickinson: They have undergraduate? I thought they just did law school. Hm…Also it is a 15 minute drive from my school so its pretty much seen as a school if you don’t care about getting away from your parents, but everyone eventually acknowleges that it is a pretty good school.</p>
<p>Could you give me more information about Stony Brook?I have been accepted for mechanical engineering and I don’t know much about it.I am an international student.</p>
<p>It’s funny, I live pretty close to Stong Brook, but I don’t know too much. It is regarded as a really, really good school academically. I can tell you a little bit about Long Island.. you definitely need to make friends with cars! It’s difficult to live without one here. It can be a cooler here than Greece, we tend to get some really chilly days during the winter. But the summer can be nice. And also some extremes in temperature during that season. Sorry I can’t provide you with much about SB. Which campus are you planning to attend?</p>
<p>stetson university anyone in florida??</p>